Van Zandt professionals attend Crimes Against Children conference
Seventeen local professionals attended the 27th Annual Crimes Against Children Conference held Dallas earlier this month as part of the multi-disciplinary team of the Children’s Advocacy Center.
The advocacy center received more than $8,000 in grants and scholarships to support the training of eight team members, including Forensic Investigator Patty Flowers, Children’s Therapist Anna Mitchell, Jennifer Poynter, Miranda Davis and Casie Darter from Child Protective Services; Robyne Fedrick with the Grand Saline Police Department, Christie Burleson from Juvenile Probation and Robin Sherwood with the Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
The annual conference was attended by more than 7,500 professionals focused on child advocacy and the investigation, prosecution and conviction of child abuse, including a keynote address from ICE Director Sarah Saldana with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
More than 250 different workshops were presented, focusing on topics such as investigations into child pornography, case studies, interrogation techniques, cultural considerations with victims, law enforcement response to sexting/cell phone misuse, child fatality review, kidnapping, gangs, pedophiles and undercover operations.
Other area attendees included Jake Smith, Sawn Gillard and Vickie Stofle from the Van Zandt Sheriff’s Department; Kassie Manley and J.D. Morris of the Wills Point Police Department; John Brown and Gary Pettis from the Van Police Department; Rhonda Moore from the Andrews Center and Crystal Mayer from the East Texas Crisis Center.
The multi-disciplinary team at the Van Zandt Center meets monthly to staff cases and consistently collaborate in the identification and prosecution of child abuse offenders as well as the healing of the victims and their families, according to information from the center.
For more information on the CAC, call 903-567-1212.
